Pats finish historical season on top

WALDORF, MD. — The normally quiet Most Valuable Player had something to say, and no amount of champagne spraying in his face was going to stop him.

Members of the Patriots hoist the Atlantic League Championship trophy Sunday afternoon on the field at Regency Furniture Stadium. (Courtesy of the Patriots)

“To the best Atlantic League team ever,” Jeff Nettles toasted his teammates before succumbing to the celebratory wishes of the clubhouse.

There is nothing left to dispute Nettles’ claim after the Somerset Patriots finished off the winningest regular season in history by capturing their record fifth championship in 12 years and becoming the first team to repeat.

The final step was achieved Sunday afternoon as the Patriots defeated the Southern Maryland Blue Crabs 11-1 in Game 4 of the best-of-five Championship Series at Regency Furniture Stadium.

“This is the best championship yet bar none,” manager Sparky Lyle said, “because everybody kept taking us lightly like we were just hanging around. And we weren’t hanging around. We were setting precedents.”

Lyle, who was serving the first game of a suspension, watched from a spot on the concourse behind the left-center-field wall as his starting pitcher, unlikely hero Jason Standridge, backed up a gutsy declaration by tossing a complete game.

Standridge, who struggled through a turbulent season, went to Lyle and asked to pitch Game 4 against the seemingly unbeatable John Halama.

“I felt so excited about wanting to pitch,” Standridge said. “I knew I could beat these guys. . . . Sometimes you just have that confidence of taking the bull by the horns.”

True to his 2009 form, Standridge looked like two different pitchers in the same game.

But the better version won out.

After a three-walk first inning in which he put the team behind, Standridge dominated.

The former major leaguer did not allow a hit from the third through eighth innings and escaped a sixth-inning jam by striking out Jeremy Owens to strand two runners on base. He finished with seven strikeouts.

His adrenaline-based yell while walking back to the dugout could be heard in the ballpark’s upper tier.

“It was awesome,” first baseman Travis Anderson said of Standridge’s confidence. “I’ll run through a wall for that guy.”

Halama, who had a 1.96 ERA in 69 regular-season innings and a 0.57 ERA in 15 2/3 playoff innings, was undone by control problems.

The nine-year major league veteran issued a season-high five walks and was charged with six runs — four earned — on seven hits in 4 2/3 innings.

He handed out three free passes in a four-batter span during the second inning, including two consecutively with the bases loaded and two outs, and dug the Blue Crabs into a shockingly quick 4-1 deficit.

“If you were going to call into Vegas, you were going to put your money on Southern Maryland,” said Standridge, who was admittedly motivated by all the pregame talk of his counterpart. “But that wasn’t the case today.”

Halama’s other two walks loaded the bases in the fifth before Mike Rodriguez delivered the knockout punch, a two-out two-run line drive single.

“I sat up there today and actually was not worried,” Lyle said. “It wasn’t that I knew we were going to blow them away or I knew we were going to win, I just had a calm feeling about the whole thing just because of the way everybody reacted in here before the game.

“I had a tear in my eye just watching the final out and the relief and everything that goes along with it — the gratification that you did something that hasn’t been done for 11 years.”

Four runs followed in the seventh and Nettles, who hit .375 with seven home runs and six RBI during the series, homered for the third straight game in the eighth.

A key contributor to the 2003 and 2005 title-winners, Nettles is the only two-time MVP selection.

“I would’ve been just as fine with all nine of us — or all 25 of us — getting it,” Nettles said as his eyes locked in on the championship trophy. “I’m glad they didn’t give me a (MVP) trophy because I probably would’ve left it on the field. I want that trophy right there.”

The 14 holdovers from the 2008 Patriots, who came to spring training with the goal to repeat, seemed to especially soak in every moment Sunday night, posing for countless photos in their navy blue back-to-back T-shirts and commemorative hats.

“From Day 1, to a man, our goal was to win a championship,” second baseman Matt Hagen said. “Anything less was unacceptable.”

About Ryan Dunleavy

Ryan Dunleavy has covered Rutgers athletics for more than a decade, dating back to his days as a student at his alma mater. He became New Jersey Press Media’s Rutgers women’s basketball beat writer in 2009 and Rutgers football beat writer in 2013. Since joining the staff in 2004, the Morris County native also has covered the NFL, MLB, NBA, the Somerset Patriots and high school sports.

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Mike AshmoreA lifelong resident of the Three Bridges section of Readington, Mike Ashmore is a 2001 graduate of Hunterdon Central Regional High School who began his career covering professional sports two years later. Since then, he's covered countless other teams and events ranging from the Stanley Cup Final to the UFC as a freelancer working in the area. Mike will add to his over 450 games of experience covering the Somerset Patriots by finishing out the season as MyCentralJersey.com's beat writer for the team.E-mail Mike

Ryan DunleavyRyan Dunleavy has covered Rutgers athletics for more than a decade, dating back to his days as a student at his alma mater. He became New Jersey Press Media’s Rutgers women’s basketball beat writer in 2009 and Rutgers football beat writer in 2013. Since joining the staff in 2004, the Morris County native also has covered the NFL, MLB, NBA, the Somerset Patriots and high school sports.E-mail Ryan